


All about the dreams you grew

by nea_writes



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 18:30:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12114654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nea_writes/pseuds/nea_writes
Summary: City lights lit up the dark surface of the river, and while Allen commented on how much he’d loved the nice dinner, it hit Link what he was about to do.He was going to propose. He was going to ask the love of his life tomarry him.





	All about the dreams you grew

**Author's Note:**

> Request: "Marry me" + Linkllen
> 
> I miss doing short romantic fluff like this;;;

Link had, with the exception of Allen, planned most everything in his life.

The university he had attended, the years his education took, his career thereafter, his eventual apartment in the city, and now the promotion in sight. Sitting knock-kneed and fourteen in his foster father’s house, Link had swore to himself that no matter what he’d achieve his goals. He’d move on to bigger, better, more fulfilling life achievements, and he’d leave behind the poor boy without a home.

Granted, life could had never prepared him for Allen Walker.

Link, if drunk, relaxed, and quite positive Allen would never hear this, would readily admit that Allen was the best thing to ever happen to him.  _But don’t tell him that,_ Link would say, pausing in his inebriation to focus on the slightly tilted room.  _He’ll melt on the spot, sure, but he’ll never let you forget it._

Allen was a devil for sure, a temptation, a promise Link had nearly thrown everything away for, had Allen wished it. Fortunately, Allen loved Link more than himself, and when push came to shove, it was Allen who bowed.

So they lived in apartment where Allen yearned for a house and home, and in a limbo that was beginning to itch at Allen’s bones. He was always the type to keep moving, always restless. Unlike Link, Allen didn’t have goals for promotion or aspirations to become the head of a company. All Allen really wanted was a place to call his own.

Link had asked him to wait.  _Wait,_ as Link worked his way through the ranks.  _Wait,_ as they settled various debts.  _Wait,_ as Link fretfully kept to himself that the idea of forever with Allen scared him like nothing else ever had.

It wasn’t that Link didn’t want it. The opposite, in fact. He  _wanted_ to spend the rest of his life with Allen. He couldn’t imagine a future without him. Without his quiet humming in the morning, how he cuddled into Link’s chest as night, his odd habit of thieving various knick knacks in their home only to replace them elsewhere. His suave smiles and his embarrassed flushes at Link’s genuine compliments.

And, quite simply, the way Allen looked at Link.

It wasn’t that Link didn’t want a future with Allen — it was that he was terrified of a promise of  _forever_ that didn’t come to fruition.

But, Link had achieved all his goals thus far. What was adding another?

And so he planned, and he thought, and he became so lost in it that by the time he pulled Allen aside after a dinner out several weeks later, some of the nerves had dissipated.

It was a warm summer night, not too unlike the first time they’d met, and Link held Allen’s hand as he led him to a park with a path that followed a river. At this hour, there weren’t many others out aside from a few couples engrossed in their own romance, affording Link and Allen privacy.

City lights lit up the dark surface of the river, and while Allen commented on how much he’d loved the nice dinner, it hit Link what he was about to do.

He was going to propose. He was going to ask the love of his life to  _marry him._

Following what he’d planned for the evening — and had painstakingly practiced out days prior — Link led Allen to a small gazebo on a swell of land. It was inland, so there wasn’t an amazing view of the river, but for that reason there were no other couples. Allen murmured softly and gifted Link with a smile.

At Allen’s face, backlit by the street lamp not too far away, soft gray eyes and a smile that curved his lips, the script Link had carefully thought over crumbled from his memory and his mouth grew dry.  

“Link?” Allen prompted, concerned. Of course it was too much to ask for Allen not to notice Link’s nerves. Allen was far more sensitive than Link in this regard. “Is something wrong? You’ve been… quiet.”

Instead of answering, Link pulled Allen to sit beside him. Allen settled against the wooden bench worn smooth over time, with one leg bent, bare foot tucked under his leg and shoe discarded on the floor. He was facing Link, searching Link’s gaze to try and discern what could be wrong. Allen was so smart, so cunning. If he only held himself in higher esteem, then maybe he would’ve guessed at what Link was attempting to do.

But he didn’t, and so Allen reached for the hand marked with a tattoo Link had gotten all those years ago, a brand most had told him he’d regret but that he never had. Allen traced the tattoo mindlessly, a simple habit born of years of casual touch.

Licking his lips and trying to speak past the way his heart beat in his throat, Link lifted his free hand and tucked Allen’s hair behind his ear, following the curve of his jaw to his chin. Allen tilted his head, curious, and the same strand fell loose, his bangs falling messy and whisper-soft across his forehead, individual strands catching the light. Link sighed, breath stolen.

“Do you know,” Link began, trying his best to remember Allen like this. Young, amazing, and so in love, in love, in love. “Do you know… how beautiful you are?”

Allen blinked, wide-eyed, before nervously laughing, bringing the back of his hand to cover his sudden blush. “Really, Link,” Allen said around a smile, eyes lowering to their hands abashedly, “what’s gotten into you today? A nice dinner, a walk in the park, and now this? Oh!” His eyes lit up and he leaned forward, squeezing Link’s hand — a tactic to detract from Link’s compliment, surely. “Did you get that promotion? Did you?”

At this Link finally smiled, shaking his head in faint amusement. “Not yet,” Link said, because he one day would. “That’s not what this is for.”

“No?” Allen asked, confused. “Then what? Did the proposal you spent the last month working on get accepted?”

Hopefully. But not the one Allen was thinking of. “I’m still waiting to hear back on that,” Link admitted, but the nerves over his proposed project paled in comparison to the ones blooming in his stomach now.

“Then what?” Allen asked, frowning.

Link gave him a wry look, amusement winning out over his nerves for a moment. Allen was always so quick on the uptake that it was rather refreshing to see him confused. It was nearly unearthly how quickly Allen could grasp situations.

“Always so impatient,” Link teased instead, “can’t I just spend an evening with you?”

“Of course you could,” Allen said, undeterred with an eyeroll impending, “but all of this isn’t just some normal evening. A nice meal, a walk in a park, sitting in a  _gazebo._ Come on now, Link.”

_I should be the one saying that,_ Link thought, free hand resting on his side. The ring in the inner pocket of his blazer was unadorned, a simple band of silver, thin and unassuming. Link wasn’t even entirely sure if Allen would want a ring. He still hid his left arm as much as possible.

Taking a steadying breath, Link forced himself past his nerves, determined to not back out. “Allen,” Link said, his serious tone melting Allen’s own playful amusement away. He hesitated, met Allen’s eyes, wide and gray and suddenly vulnerable, and couldn’t hold back. “I love you.”

Again Allen laughed, always so abashed in the face of sincerity. “Link, honestly. What is it? I’m starting to get nervous.”

Heart hammering in his ears, Link hoped Allen wouldn’t notice how sweaty his hands had gotten. He hadn’t been this nervous since the first time he’d confessed, ages ago now. 

Sliding the ring free to hold out, Link squeezed Allen’s hand and said, “Will you marry me?”

Allen’s eyes locked on the silver. Link was pretty sure he stopped breathing.

Then, without warning, Allen began to cry.

Alarmed, Link dropped the ring on his lap to messily wipe at Allen’s cheeks. “Allen? Are you— did you not—” swallowing past his dread, Link released Allen’s hand so he could thumb more tears away. “Is this too soon?”

Unspoken was  _is this a no?_

Allen shook his head jerkily and brought his own hands up, hiding his face in his palms as he took a shuddering breath. His tears were heavy and fat, rolling off his cheeks to splatter on his thighs as he bent over, shoulders shaking.

“Allen what’s wrong?” Link asked, desperate as his hands hovered over Allen’s shoulder.

Then, Allen laughed, wet and short, and he wiped as much of his face as he could before moving to cup Link’s face, fingers wet. “Nothing,” Allen mustered, laughing breathlessly. “Nothing, I’m just so—” he thumbed Link’s cheekbone, eyes shining silver-bright with his tears. “Thank you,” Allen said.

“Thank you?” Link blurted, horribly confused. “I… for what?”

Allen laughed again and kissed Link lightly on the lips, and then rested his forehead against Link’s, eyes closed as he worked through the last of his shuddering breaths. “For loving me.”

Link nearly said he didn’t believe that warranted gratitude, but held back, watching the color in Allen’s cheeks and the light catch on his tears slowly drying. Reaching up, Link grasped Allen’s chin gently and kissed him, slow and sweet, before whispering, “Marry me?”

Allen laughed and nodded and promptly melted into Link, wet face tucking into the crook of Link’s neck and arms wrapped around Link, holding him as close as he could get.

Slowly, Link settled his hands on Allen’s back, soothing the faint tremble he could still feel, and rested his cheek on Allen’s hair.

“I love you,” Allen finally murmured back, and Link laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> nea_chi | twitter  
> nea-writes | tumblr


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